Someone Who Touches my Life
by CrazyCabernet
Summary: By the time Éponine returns, the fighting is done and only one student shows any signs of life. When Enjolras flees to Toulouse and agrees to let her tag along, he ends up getting more than he bargained for, irritated by her constant chatter and slight clinginess. But as they get to know each other better, his outlook on things begins to change. THIS SUMMARY SUCKS, I'M SORRY!
1. Three Wounds and a Memory

**AN: Exactly one week ago, I saw Les Miserables for the first time in my life and had my mind blow, and came to the conclusion that Enjy has THE most epic death scene that I have EVER had the privilege of witnessing live onstage. After spending the past week reading other peoples' Les Mis fics and looking at every Les Mis thing I can find on DeviantArt, as well as listening non-stop to the soundtrack, I have come to the conclusion that I ship Éponine and Enjolras.**

**So then I started thinking, "What if the fighting was already over by the time 'Ponine got back from delivering Marius' letter to Cosett****e? And what if Enjy still had a faint pulse when she found him? PLOT BUNNY!"**

**And thus, this story was born. I have already done a one-shot about Enjy's death called "The Fall of Enjolras," and the locations of his wounds and what he describes to 'Ponine about his thoughts and such as he was laying there wounded come from that, so if you've already seen that story, the things he says in here should be familiar. This is only the second thing I've written for Les Mis, and it's the first multi-chapter, so CC is highly welcome.**

* * *

"Messieur Enjy?"

Enjorlas slowly opened his eyes. "Éponine?" he said quietly. "What happened?"  
"Marius had me take a letter to his love, and by the time I got back to the barricade, the fighting was already over. You were the only one that showed any signs of life, so after I buried my brother, I brought you to the hospital. You've been out cold for..." She paused and counted on her fingers. "Almost a week, I think. Maybe a week and a half, I'm not entirely sure. I lost count after about the fifth day, to be honest."

He frowned in confusion. "Your brother?" he asked. She nodded. "Gavroche," she said. "Didn't he ever tell any of you that we were siblings?" Enjolras shook his head weakly. "No, he never mentioned that. Not to me, anyway. Probably to Grantaire, maybe to someone else, but not to me. He mostly only told me important news, our relationship wasn't on a very personal level. But he was..." He paused to catch his breath.

"He was a good kid," he continued. "Always did whatever favor we asked of him, was better at finding out the information and details we needed to know than anyone else...He was...He and Grantaire made quite the pair...They were always the life of our meetings, the two of them...I'm sorry I couldn't save him."

Éponine took his hand in both of hers. "It's not your fault," she said in a soft voice. Enjolras gazed at her pale, dirt smudged face in silence for a moment or two before something in his peripheral vision caught his eye. He tried to reach for it, but ended up grimacing in pain when he moved his arm even a fraction of an inch. Éponine brushed some stray hair out of his eyes and said, "You've got a bullet wound just below your right shoulder, so it's not surprising that moving that arm hurts."

He closed his eyes. "I remember..." He licked his cracked lips and drew in more breath. "I remember feeling a pang in that spot," he said. "It was...strange. Not like I expected it to feel." She furrowed her brow in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked. He thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain it.

"It was...I felt it happen, but..." He shook his head. "What I _didn't_ feel was any pain. I always imagined that getting shot would hurt like all hell, but...it didn't. Not at first. The force of it knocked me off my feet, and when I let go of the flag to put my hand over the wound, it ended up underneath me, and...I was laying there on top of it just clutching at the wound thinking that it would bleed out and I would die that way."

He sighed. "But then...I started thinking that everything was my fault. That I'd been a blind fool and had led everyone to their deaths, so I started praying that they would be able to forgive me. By that point, the area around the wound was burning like crazy, but I ignored it and forced myself into a sitting position and started to sing. They shot me again-"

"Below the left ribs," she cut in. He nodded. "Yes. Below the left ribs." Again, he had to pause to catch his breath and moisten his lips. "It forced me down onto my elbows," he continued, his voice weaker than before and starting to sound raspy. "But I kept singing. And then I yelled, _'Viva les barricades__!__Viva le peuple__!__Viva la republique__!__Et viva la revolution__!__' _And then I felt another pang and the force threw me onto my back again. I could feel blood coming out of the corner of my mouth. I remember whispering something...I wish I could remember what it was...But...then..."

He shook his head. "Nothing. Just...blackness."  
"You should rest," Éponine said, resting her chin on the edge of the bed. She fingered the collar of his shirt, then gently pressed the tip of her index finger against the skin next to the bullet wound near his collarbone. "That was the third shot, wasn't it?" she asked. He nodded weakly, not bothering to open his eyes to look where she was pointing since he could feel where her finger was.

She pursed her lips and scrunched up her face. "It's so close to your throat," she whispered. "The doctor says that two more inches, and it would've killed you instantly. I saw Marius on the street today when I was on my way here. He's married now. To the girl I took that letter to. Her name is Cosette. He says her father died on the evening of the day they had their wedding. Do you know, Messieur Enjy, that I do believe I am a little in love with Messieur Marius. I wanted to be with him that night, so I disguised myself as a boy to get into the barricade. He sent me away with that letter, though."

"Good," Enjolras said, eyes still closed. "He probably saved your life by doing that. You two were close, weren't you? Still are, I suppose, since he survived. Do you know how he did? I thought you said that I was the only one-"

"You were," she interrupted. "I looked everywhere for him, but he wasn't there. It turns out that the man who killed the spy Javert was Cosette's father, and after Marius was shot, M. Fauchelavent carried him through the sewers to safety. When Marius woke up, he was being cared for by Cosette. Have you ever been in love, Messieur Enjy?"

"Once," he muttered. "With who?" she asked. She got no response. "Messieur Enjy?" She leaned closer to his face and whispered again, "Messieur Enjy?" But he was already asleep. She decided to leave him be and let him rest to regain his strength. In the meantime, she picked up the object he'd tried to reach for and brought it to her face. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

The torn red flag still smelled of gunsmoke and blood.

* * *

**AN: I figured that since it's been a couple weeks or so since the insurrection, 'Ponine probably would have run into Marius on the street or something already by that point. Plus, I couldn't bear to just leave her and Enjy hanging as far as knowing whether he lived or died since she obviously wouldn't have found his body with the others at the barricade, so I decided to go ahead and take care of that part. DISCLAIMER TIME, KIDS! XD**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Les Mis, Éponine and Enjorlas wouldn't have died, Fantine would've gotten to see Cosette one more time before _she_ died, Gavroche would've either been able to dodge those bullets or not get shot at in the first place, and Les Amis would've won the battle. So, since none of that stuff happened either in the Brick OR the musical, I obviously don't own anything. :(  
**


	2. Of Poems and Spellings

**AN: For the Patria fans who are reading this, PLEASE DON'T MURDER ME! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, although I wish that _On My Own_ was my creation, because it's one of my favorite songs in the entire show. Sadly, however, I cannot lay any sort of claim to it. :(  
**

* * *

"Do you realize," Enjolras said, "that I shall be wanted by _la force,_ Mademoiselle Gamin?" Éponine tilted her head to the side. "What for?" she asked, handing him a glass of water that was sitting on the bedside table. He took a drink and handed it back to her. "For leading a group of revolutionaries," he said. "I was the one standing on the top of that barricade waving that red flag around like an idiot, all but demanding to be shot with the way I was just standing there out in the open in that bright red vest like some practice target."

He chuckled. "Paris is no longer safe for me, 'Ponine. I'll have to leave to avoid going to jail, possibly even the galleys at Toulon. I'll have to get as far away as I possibly can." Éponine smirked at him somewhat wryly. "First you have to get well enought to travel, though," she said. Enjolras grinned at her. "I'm sitting up, aren't I? Not sleeping so damn much, having longer conversations with you. I'd say I'm nearly ready, wouldn't you?"

Éponine laughed. "It's not my place to say!" she cried. "It's good to see that you're so optimistic, though. Now tell me about this girl you once loved, will you?" she asked. Enjolras' grin faded slightly. "Her name was Patria," he said after a few moments. "She was my mistress, once-upon-a-time. The revolution and Les Amis were always my top priorities, but Patria wasn't far behind. To tell the truth, I don't know if I ever actually loved her the way you mean when you say it. But I did love her. In my own somewhat strange way, I loved her."

"What happened?"  
"A few years ago, during a paticularly harsh winter, she came down with pneumonia. Didn't last long enough to see the spring."  
"I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't be. It's over and done with, I've moved on. Marius, really?" Éponine blushed. "I'm trying to let go," she muttered. "But it's hard. I've spent so much time loving him."  
"How long have you known each other, if you don't mind my asking?" Enjolras asked. Éponine thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Since I was about...fourteen, fifteen, I suppose," she said. "So about..." She had to pause and count on her fingers. "Four or five years."

Enjolras smiled. "You're not very good at math, are you?" he asked. She blushed and shook her head. "No, I'm not. I suppose it's rather obvious with the way I'm always counting on my fingers, isn't it? I don't read very well, but I know most of the alphabet and I can write a little bit. My spelling's not too good, though."  
"But you _can_ write?"  
"Yes, I am able."  
"Show me."

Éponine blinked, a bit suprised by this. "All right," she said after a moment. She looked around, then stood and went to a sideboard on the wall opposite Enjolras' bed. She picked up a pad of paper that was sitting on it, then grabbed the fountain pen beside the pad and uncapped it. Turning to him, she smiled and asked, "What shall I write?"

Enjolras shrugged. "Whatever you'd like, it makes no difference to me," he replied. Éponine thought for several moments before her face lit up. "Oh!" she cried. "I know!" She turned back around and began to scribble furiously on the pad. When she was finished, she brought it over to him, grinning proudly as she held it out.

He chuckled as he took it from her. "I must say, Mademoiselle Thénadier, I do believe I have never met someone so eager to show off their literacy abilities as you appear to be at this moment." She giggled, a slight blush rising to her cheeks as he scanned over what she'd written. Scrawled across the paper in slightly shaky, uneven handwriting was this:

_On my own preetending hee's beesyd me_e  
_All alone, I wok with him til morning_  
_Withowt him I feel his arms arownd me_e  
_And wen I looz my way, _  
_I cloz my eyes and hee haz fownd me_

_In the rayn the payvment shines leyk silver_  
_All the leyts ar mistee in the river_  
_In the darkness, the trees ar full uv starleyt_  
_And all I see is him and mee forever and forever_

_And I no it's ownlee in my mind_  
_That I'm tawking too myself, and not too him_  
_And alltho I no that hee is blind_  
_Still I say there's a way for us_

_I love him but wen the neyt is over_  
_He is gon the river's just a river_  
_Withowt him, the world arownd me chanjes_  
_The trees ar bear and evrywere_  
_The streets ar full uv stranjers_

_I love him but evry day I'm lerning,_  
_All my life I've ownlee ben preetending_  
_Withowt mee his world will go on turning,_  
_A world that's full uv hapeeness that I have never nown_

_I love him_  
_I love him_  
_I love him_  
_But ownlee on my own_

"Is it about Marius?" Enjorlas asked when he finished reading it. Éponine nodded in response. "It's a poem that just came to me out of no where on my way back to the barricade after I delivered his letter to Cosette," she told him. Enjorlas nodded. "It's actually very good," he said. Her face lit up a bit. "You really think so?" she asked. Again, he nodded. "I really do," he said. "And your spelling's actually not as bad as you might think." Here, he began pointing at things as he spoke.

"You see here, how you spelled the word rain with an 'A-Y?' It's actually spelled R-A-I-N, but what you did was you spelled it the way it sounds. Same thing with 'only,' the 'out' part of 'without,' the 'happy' part of 'happiness,' and the words 'known' and 'know.' You left out the 'E' that goes on the end of 'gone,' in the middle of 'every' when you wrote 'everywhere,' and in a few words, you put a 'J' where there should've been a 'G,' left out a letter or two in a few things, and replaced some letters with different ones, like in the word 'light.' But there's nothing wrong with any of that, what you were doing was spelling phonetically, that's all."

She scrunched up her face. "Fo...Fonatickly?" she said uncertainly. Enjorlas shook his head. "Repeat after me," he said. "Fo-net-ick-lee."  
"Fo...Fo-net-ick-lee," she echoed."

Enjorlas nodded. "There you go," he said, smiling at her. "What's that mean?" she asked. "It means you spelled things based on how they're pronounced. The word 'out,' for example, is spelled O-U-T, but when you say it out loud, it sounds like there's a W where the U is, right?" She nodded. "Well," he continued, "that's how you spelled it here. 'Ponine, there's nothing wrong with spelling things phonetically, it's just easier for some people. In fact, some people have an easier time learning to spell if they start off doing it this way. Maybe you're one of those people."

Éponine thought about this for a few moments, then understanding washed over her face. "Oh, I think I get it now," she said. "Messieur Enjy, would you teach me how to spell better, please?" she asked. He couldn't help but laugh at how pathetic she looked right then, with her hands clasped in front of her and her elbows resting on the edge of the bed while she was on her knees beside the nightstand, her green-and-brown eyes looking so childlike past the tangled frame of dirty brown hair and the brim of her filthy cap, bottom lip sticking out and away from the rest of her pale dirty face.

"Alright, fine, I'll teach you," he said. She grinned. "Oh thank you, Messieur Enjy," she cried, throwing her arms around him joyfully. "Let's start with the poem," he said. "Bring that pen over here, would you?" She nodded and hurried to fetch it. He took it and began pointing things out to her, circling her mistakes as she went. She listened eagerly to him, eyes wide and more alight than they had been in a long time.

* * *

**AN: Before I get bombarded with comments and complaints about how I butchered the spelling of all those words in the song, just let me remind you that 'Ponine SPECIFICALLY TOLD ENJOLRAS that she struggles with her spelling! Let me remind you that she received NO FORMAL EDUCATION and is self-taught in practically everything because of the way she has lived for her entire life. SHE IS NOT ENTIRELY LITERATE. THE MISSPELLINGS WERE DELIBERATE, PEOPLE, SO DO NOT BOMBARD ME WITH COMPLAINTS AND CORRECTIONS BECAUSE I WILL NOT RESPOND.**

**I RESPOND TO PRACTICALLY EVERY SINGLE REVIEW I GET IF IT IS NOT ANONYMOUS, BUT I WILL NOT RESPOND TO ANYTHING I SEE THAT COMPLAINS ABOUT, COMMENTS ON, ASKS ABOUT, AND/OR CORRECTS THE SPELLING IN THE SONG.**

**Thank you very mucho much for your attention and have a nice day. :)**

**-Maggie  
**


	3. Acorns Can be Dangerous

**AN: Okay, so for the French in this chapter, I used Google translate, so if you happen to be fluent in French because you're a native speaker or if you took/are taking it in high school, or whatever and you see any mistakes in grammar, punctuation, etc., please forgive me, it's not my fault, and if you're OCD about grammar, spelling, and punctuation like I am and you just can't stand to look at the mistakes, then please do not hesitate to tell me where you saw any, because I completely understand how irritating that can be, and I will be more than glad to go back and try to fix it so nobody's head explodes.**

**For those of you who need a translator to understand French like I do, I'll be providing the translations in the AN at the end of the chapter, and it'll be what I typed into Google translate copy/pasted word-for-word. In the meantime, here's a lovely little disclaimer for you to look at and admire:  
**

**I OWN NOTHING AND DENY EVERYTHING! XD  
**

**EDIT: Enjy's first name, Alain, is the French form of Alan, which, in Celtic, means (among other things) "handsome." I thought that fit him, so Alain it is. :)  
**

* * *

Éponine peered curiously over Enjolras' shoulder. He had reached the point in his healing process that he was now well enough to take short walks around the garden in the convent where they had both been living since the night of the insurrection, him as a patient in the hospital wing, she as guest elsewhere in the place.

They were currently outside, Enjolras sitting on a bench in the shade of a large oak tree while Éponine ran around, pointing to different flowers and trees and asking him what they were called. But she'd grown bored with that, and was now hovering over his shoulder, trying to steal a glance at the papers he was so intently focused on as he occasionally scribbled something into the leather journal that sat on the bench next to him.

"What on earth are you so determined to hide from me, Messieur Enjy?" she demanded finally. "Nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about," he muttered, not really seeming fully aware of her or what came out of his mouth as he scrawled another line or two in the journal. Frowning, and determined not to be ignored, Éponine reached over his shoulder and snatched the top paper out of his hands, then quickly scurried away from him.

"Hey!" he cried, setting the rest of the papers aside and rising to his feet. "Éponine, bring that back here!" he called. Instead of doing as she was told, Éponine ran to the far end of the garden, knowing it would give her more time to look at her stolen loot since he was still walking with a noticeable limp.

Her eyes widened. "This is a map!" she cried, sounding as if she'd just made some great, life-changing discovery that would affect millions of lives and go down in history. "It's a map of France! Messieur Enjy, why on earth do you need this?" she demanded. Enjolras grimaced slightly. "I'm not going to strangle her," he muttered to himself as he continued to make his way over to her.

Éponine held the map at arm's length from herself, tilted it a bit, then squinted and cocked her head to the side as she studied it closely. "You've been drawing all over this thing, you have!" she announced. "You've got lines on here going from Paris to all over the place! And why does the Midi-Pyrénées region have a big red circle around it? And why do other regions have big red X's over them? And why-"

He snatched it out of her hand, scowling at her in irritation. "I told you," he said, "I can't stay in Paris, it's not safe. I've been working on figuring out where I'll be safe from _la force. _The Midi-Pyrénées region is circled because I've decided to go there. The ones with X's over them are ones that I was considering, but ended up deciding against. Now I just have to figure out which town I'm going to head for."

Éponine frowned at his back as he went back towards the bench. After he was seated again, she crossed her arms and marched up to him, standing directly in front of him like that. "Yes?" he said finally. "May I help you, Ma'mselle?"

"Don't you 'ma'mselle' me, Alain Enjolras," she said. "What is wrong with you today? You've been in a bad mood all morning, and don't try to tell me you haven't, because you have! You've been grumpy and irritable and all around unpleasant ever since we came out here! In all the weeks we've been here and all the time we've spent with each other _during_ those weeks, not once have you been so...so snippity! The way I figure, there's only two things that could've caused that, either you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, or something's crawled up your ass and bitten you, now which one is it, hm?"

Enjolras stared at her for several moments without speaking. Finally, he laid his papers down again and stood up to his full height in front of her, taking advantage of the several inches or so that he had on her by looking down at her. When she responded by looking up and meeting his eyes, the result was that the tips of their noses almost touched.

"Éponine," he said in a low voice, his tone smooth. "I am a man of action. I have always been and shall always be a doer. I have spent the last God-knows-how-many weeks laying in a bed with nothing to do but blame myself for all of my friends dying. I could not leave the room for days after being allowed out of bed. And now, I am out of the bed, out of the room, out of the building, and yet I am still restrained. Still confined within the walls of this garden. I am ready and have _been _ready to get back into the streets for so long now that even the thought of being captured by the police does not frighten me as much as it should, because at least if they capture me, that means I will have been outside for at least a small amount of time. So forgive me, Mademoiselle, if my temper is too short for your liking, but I am fed up with this place. I believe I have earned the right to be frustrated and irritable."

With that, he sat back down and continued with his work. Crossing her arms, Éponine turned and went off in a huff to wander around the paths that wove through the flowerbeds, grumbling to herself under her breath in French as she walked.

_"Révolutionnaire stupide. Étudiant, mon cul! Aucun élève ne devrait être si rude et grossier comme il est d'être pour moi aujourd'hui! Oh, combien exaspérante, il a été toute la matinée damn! Même inconscience de Marius à mes sentiments sont préférables à la compagnie de cet imbécile insupportable dès maintenant! Oh, je me contenterai de l'étrangler avant qu'il ne soit encore midi, je me contenterai de l'étrangler, je vais!"_

_"M'insulter ne vous mènera nulle part, Mademoiselle Thénadier,"_ he said, catching part of her ramblings as she wandered past him._ "Ni à retrouver mes bonnes grâces, ni en vous-même bénéficiant en aucune façon. Si vous me demandez, vous devriez tout simplement arrêter pendant que vous êtes en avance."  
_

"Well, I _didn't_ ask you, so you can just take your advice and shove it up your damn ass for all I care!" she snapped. Scowling, Enjolras scooped up a handful of acorns by his feet and threw them at her when she turned around. The hit the back of her head, causing her to let out a shriek before whirling back around, eyes blazing furiously as she marched up to him, screeching like a banshee in rapid-fire French._  
_

_"Vous, fils de pute! Comment osez-vous, comment osez-vous, comment osez-vous?! Pourquoi, je devrais juste déchirer tout ce qui blonds cheveux brillants de la vôtre dès la sortie de votre cuir chevelu et faire une perruque hors de lui juste pour vous malgré! Vous êtes si peu profonde, tu sais ça?! Tu es un peu profonde, narcissique, égocentrique, prétentieux, insupportable joli garçon d'un bâtard! Comment je n'ai pas passé tout à fait fou de votre entreprise en ce moment, je ne saurai jamais! Je viens de vous à gauche à cette barricade! Je viens d'enterrer mon petit frère et vous avez laissé mourir là, comme tous les autres! Qu'est-ce que je pensais de vous amener ici, je ne saurai jamais! Qu'est-ce au nom de Dieu aurait peut-être été me posséder à ce moment, je ne saurai jamais!"_

As the rage built up inside of him, all rational thought abandoned Enjolras' mind until all he could register was her screamed insults and his own anger at her words. Not fully aware of what he was doing, nor completely in control of his own body, he raised his hand and, without realizing what was happening until it was too late, struck her across the face.

She gasped and stumbled backwards, instinctively reaching up to cover the hurt area with her own hand, gaping in shock as she slowly turned to look at him again. His eyes were just as wide as hers, both of them unable to believe what had just happened.

"...É-Éponine...I-"  
"NO! Stay away from me, you bastard!" she yelled, tears beginning to fall as she turned and ran back into the convent. Not knowing what to do, Enjolras just stood there staring after her.

_"...Je suis désolé..."_

* * *

**AN: DAMMIT, ENJOLRAS, NOW LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE, YOU PISSED HER OFF! NICE GOING THERE, ROMEO, REAL SMOOTH INDEED! XD And now here are those translations I promised you, starting with 'Ponine's muttered ramblings:**

**Éponine (to herself): **Stupid revolutionary. Student my ass! No student should be so rude and uncouth as he is being to me today! Oh, how infuriating he has been all damn morning! Even Marius' obliviousness to my feelings are preferable over the company of this insufferable fool right now! Oh, I shall simply strangle him before it is even noon, I shall simply strangle him, I shall!**  
**

**Enjy (overhearing her):** Insulting me shall get you nowhere, Mademoiselle Thénadier, neither in regaining my good graces, nor in benefiting yourself in any way. If you ask me, you should just quit while you're ahead.**  
**

******É**ponine (banshee mode): You son of a bitch! How dare you, how dare you, how dare you?! Why, I oughta just rip all that shiny blonde hair of yours right out of your scalp and make a wig out of it just to spite you! You're so shallow, you know that?! You're such a shallow, narcissistic, self-centered, conceited, insufferable pretty-boy of a bastard! How I've not gone entirely mad from your company by this point, I'll never know! I should've just left you at that barricade! I should've just buried my little brother and left you there to die like all the others! What the hell I was thinking by bringing you here, I'll never know! What in God's name could have possibly been possessing me at the time, I'll never know!**  
**

**Enjy (post-smack): **...I'm sorry...

**Also, on a slightly unrelated side-note, I got a review yesterday for the first chapter with some very helpful and kind CC, and some of the things this lovely reader pointed out to me made me smack myself and go, "Duh, I should've explained that to begin with!" So, since I didn't, I shall do so now.**

**First off, she said it seemed weird for 'Ponine to call him Messieur Enjy because it seemed a bit too informal, even for her. My explanation for this is that since she never received a formal education, she has a difficult time pronouncing the name Enjolras, much like most of us fans do, so she addresses him by his (fan-given) nickname.  
**

**Second, the timeline. I know the wedding wasn't until months after the barricade because Marius' injuries were pretty severe. Like she said, this passage of time isn't really shown too well onstage, but I HAVE read the Brick, I just finished it a few days ago, in fact. The reason I shortened those months into weeks is because for some reason, when I started writing this, my brain was like, "Hey, let's go a little more anti-canon with this and make his injuries NOT so severe!" And, for some reason, I actually listened to my brain and did exactly that.  
**

**So, I hope that clears up any and all confusion about that! Thank you very mucho much for your attention and have a nice day. :)  
**

**-Maggie**


	4. Observations

**AN: Okay, so I learned my lesson with the French. No rants, monologues, etc. Short phrases, words, and such only. DUH. I'M SUCH AN IDIOT. Again, translations will be at the end of the chapter. **

**Also, the way I describe Enjy in here is kind of a mixture of several different influences. It's partly influenced by the Brick itself, partly by things on DeviantArt, partly by my own imagination, and partly by the actor who played him when I saw the show for the first time ever the Sunday before the one that just passed, which was Jason Forbach. Lemme tell ya, he was HOT. And every time he opened his mouth, he got just that much hotter. *insert fangirly drooling face here***

* * *

Éponine didn't show up to visit Enjolras for at least a week after he smacked her. When she finally did, she just stood there with her arms crossed, leaning against the door frame and watching him as he scribbled in his journal. When he noticed her from the corner of his eye, he looked up. For several moments, neither of them spoke.

"I suppose I should still be angry about what happened," she said finally, "but for some reason, I just can't find it in me to stay cross with you. So against my better judgement, Messieur Enjy, I forgive you."

Enjolras nodded. _"Merci," _he said quietly. "I don't deserve it, but thank you all the same." Having said this, he returned to what he'd been writing before he'd noticed her standing in the doorway. Éponine stood there and studied him closely. For the first time ever, she took the time to just..._look_ at him.

His blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail with a leather cord, but one loose strand that had managed to escape was hanging down in front of his eyes. There was something almost...hypnotic about his eyes, she thought. They were a light sapphire with small flecks of erinite in them.

There was no doubt that he was well-built. Even when his injuries had been at their worst, that much had still been quite obvious. He had broad, rounded shoulders and a jawline that wasn't what could be called round, but not exactly square, either. Rather, it was somewhere in between the two. His hands were strong and (even the few times she'd held them during those first several days of his recovery when he was at his weakest) warm.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed him staring back at her with a somewhat odd expression. Their eyes met and she blushed, looking down at her feet, and a small, brief smile graced his features before he returned to his writing. "What do you write in there?" Éponine asked as she came to sit on the side of the bed.

Again, that small grin flashed quickly across his face as he shook his head ever so slightly. "Ah...Just...you know...things," he said, pushing the stray lock of hair behind his ear, only to have it fall right back into place.

"What sorts of things?" she asked. Enjolras shrugged.  
"My thoughts," he said, "dreams, hopes, plans, ideas, memories, observations about the world around me. That sort of thing. Really just whatever comes to mind that I find worth something to me personally."

Smiling at him shyly, Éponine asked, "Like what kind of observations? Anything about me, perhaps?" He looked up at her and chuckled. "A few," he muttered. She bit her lower lip. "Like what?" she pushed.

"Like how persistent and stubborn you are sometimes," he replied, smirking to himself. "Like how..." He paused, searching for the right word. "...Opinionated you are, I suppose is what I'm trying to say. And how different you are from any other girl I've met before."

"Different how?"  
"Well, for starters, you're...You're certainly not afraid to stand up to men, that's for sure. Most girls, if they'd been in your shoes last week, probably would have just backed down and dropped the whole thing, but you...Not only did you refuse to let it go, but you actually had the guts to call me all those horrible names and hurl all those idle threats at me and swear and cuss at me and all those other things.

"Not many girls would dare to even imagine doing that sort of thing to any man, let alone actually carry through with it, but you did. You're one of those brave few who have the courage that it takes to do that sort of thing, and although bravery can sometimes result in foolishness, I must say, Éponine, I admire what you did, sticking up to me like that when you felt like I was treating you unfairly, which I was, and I apologize for acting the way I did. I shouldn't have taken my frustration out on you like that, it was extremely stupid of me."

Éponine pursed her lips for several moments. "I'm sorry, too, Enjolras," she said. "It was wrong of me to go off on you like that, I should've just held my tongue."  
"Éponine-"

"No, please, let me finish. It's just that...growing up...I always had to put up with my father's barbaric thugs, and I had to learn to stick up for myself, because if I didn't, then there was no telling what they might have done to me, especially Montparnasse, _le trou du cul putain."_

Enjolras couldn't help but snicker loudly when she said this, even snorting a bit as he did. Éponine laughed. "Look," she said, "all I'm trying to say here is that when you threw those acorns at me, it was like I was suddenly a child again. All of a sudden, I was back to being that little girl standing against the wall, unable to do anything but watch while this group of rather frightening men, all crooks of some sort, mind you, are getting drunk out of their minds and making more noise than a...an entire fleet of ships firing their canons all at the same time. And I was scared. Just like that little girl against the wall, I was scared, Enjolras, and I didn't know what to do or how to react, so I just..."

She shrugged. "Reacted."

Enjolras studied her face for a moment. "Well," he said, putting his hand over hers. "I'll tell you what. Next time you go back to being that little girl, just let me know, and whoever it is that turned you into her will have to answer to me."

She smiled. "I'd like that," she said. "I'd like that very much. I've never had anyone stick up for me before, I've always just had to defend myself, so it might make a nice change. The fact that you're willing to be that someone means a lot more to me than you could possibly know._ Je vous remercie des millions de fois."_

He returned the smile, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. _"Vous êtes les bienvenus millions de fois,"_ he said.

And it was in that moment that Éponine knew somewhere deep in her heart that she'd finally found who she could truly rely on to always be there for her in a way that she never could with Marius. And that meant more to her than even Marius' love ever could.

* * *

**AN: French translations are as follows:**

**'Ponine in reference to 'Parnasse: **"...the fucking asshole." ***insert Enjy's snort here***

**'Ponine in reference to Enjy sticking up for her:** "So thank you a million times over."

**Enjy's response: **"You're welcome a million times over."

**And I certainly hope you all know what _merci _means, because if you don't, then my GOD, there is something severely wrong with you.**

**DISCLAIMER: Hm...uh...well, um...Nope, still not mine!  
**


	5. Dandelion Seeds

**AN: Sorry about the wait! I have the next couple chapters down in a spiral, and I have for a couple weeks or so now, but I've just been either too busy or too lazy to get my butt in gear and actually transcribe any of it onto the computer and post it.  
**

**'Ponine's description in this is, like Enjy's, influenced by several different things. This time, it doesn't really involve DA, though. This time, it's her description in the Brick combined with my own imagination combined with Samantha Barks combined with the actress I saw in the role, Briana Carlson-Goodman, though Briana's influence is basically just in the curl in her hair.**

On a somewhat unrelated sidenote, Briana's lips really make me think of Rosario Dawson. I mean, like, looking at her picture in the program, her whole face just has that kind of same general shape and stuff as Rosario, but it is without a single doubt the fullness and shape of her lips that really makes me think she looks like Rosario. Like, they could almost be sisters, even, I think.  


**There I go, rambling again, haha! I'm sorry, I can't help myself sometimes, but I'll shut up now!  
**

**DISCLAIMER: Who am I?...Who am I? Not Hugo, Boublil, or **** Schönberg**, that's for sure! XD  


* * *

Enjolras finally settled on Toulouse as his final destination. When he was strong enough to travel, Éponine brought him his vest and tricolor sash along with the flag. He put the vest and sash on, then put the flag in a haversack with his journal, bundle of papers, some food, and a canteen of water.

"Do you really have to go?" Éponine asked as he was preparing to leave the convent. Enjolras sighed. "'Ponine," he said, "we've discussed this already. I'll be wanted by _la force,_ it's not safe for me in Paris anymore."

"But you promised to protect me when I became a little girl again. You promised, Enjolras, you promised!" she cried. He put his arms around her. "Be at peace, Éponine," he said. "I made you a promise that I intend to keep. I am a man of my word."

"But-"  
"You shall come with me, Ma'mselle Gamine," he said. She looked up in surprise. "I shall?" she asked. He nodded. "If you wish," he replied.

A grin spread across her face. "Oh, Enjolras!" she cried, throwing her arms around his neck. _"Merci, merci, merci!" _She then began to babble excitedly in rapid French, her words slurring together to the point that he could hardly understand what she was on about.

"Éponine!" he interrupted. She looked up at him, her eyes even wider than normal. _"Oui?" _she said breathlessly.

"Ground rules," he said. She nodded. "One, stay out of my personal effects. We wouldn't want a repeat of the acorn incident, now, would we?"  
"No, most certainly not!"

"Exactly. Next, don't question my methods. If I tell you we're taking a detour, don't ask why, just go with it, I have my reasons for what I do. And lastly...um...Well, truth be told, that's all I've got so far, but if I think of anything else, I'll let you know."

She nodded. "Alright," she said. "Just so long as you let me do things independently unless I ask for help and...don't...uh...touch my...my hat, don't touch my hat!" She put a hand on top of her head, holding it in place and grinning at him. Enjolras chuckled as he nodded. "Fair enough," he said, offering his hand. "Deal?" he asked. She took his hand and shook it. "Deal," she said.

Slinging the haversack over his shoulder, Enjolras offered her his arm. "Shall we then?" he asked. Éponine smiled, linking her arm with his. "Let's," she replied. And with that, they left the convent and set off down the street together.

* * *

After several hours of walking, they came to a stream and stopped to rest. Éponine laughed as she splashed her face with water. Enjolras grinned. "What's so funny?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Nothing," she said. "It's just that this is the closest thing to a bath I've had in Lord-only-knows how long! I'd almost forgotten what it was like to not have dirt all over my face!"

Enjolras chuckled, then looked up at the sky. "It's almost dark," he said, more to himself than to her. "Hope you don't mind sleeping on the ground," he said half-jokingly. Éponine merely rolled her eyes and splashed him playfully.

"Hey!"  
"Please, Enjolras, you think a little camping will put me off? I've had worse lodgings before, trust me," she said wryly. Enjolras frowned. "But we don't _have_ any lodgings," he pointed out.

She shot him a look that seemed to say, "Exactly."

He blinked.

Later, when he woke up in the middle of the night, he took the chance to really look at her for the first time.

She had a heart shaped face with fairly soft features and brown hair that went just past her shoulders in a mess of tangled curl. Her eyelashes were long and thick, and she had long slender fingers with long, somewhat gangly limbs and sharp knees and elbows. When she crossed her arms, those pointy elbows seemed to kind of jut out from her slender hourglass figure in a slightly awkward-looking manner.

Her dirty fingernails were both dull and ragged at the same time, both long and short all at once. The skin of her knuckles was red and raw much more than it should have been at her age, and her palms had callouses that they shouldn't have had while she was so young. She had high cheekbones and a gently sloping jawline. Even before washing the dirt off earlier, he'd been able to see that the pale face behind it was a pretty one.

Her wide eyes, closed now as she slept, were a combination of two earthy colors; a dull brown on the edges that melted into a grayish-green color as it moved towards the center.

Enjolras sighed and fell back onto the grass closing his eyes and letting his arms fall above his head in the same motion that removed the leather cord from his hair. Two of his fingers hooked around something. Opening his eyes and looking above himself, he saw that it was the stem of a dandelion.

He turned over onto his stomach and plucked it from the ground, studying it for several moments, the stem twined between his fingers. Closing his eyes, he brought it close to his lips and blew gently, then watched the seeds dance away into the night on the soft summer breeze.

When the last one vanished into the darkness, Enjolras stretched back out again, putting his hands behind his head and slowly drifting back to sleep.

* * *

**AN: For some reason, when I did the handwritten rough draft of this, I ended up really, REALLY proud of the ending from "Two of his fingers..." up until that very last sentence. I don't know why, I just was and I still am. If anybody is able to figure out why that might be, please let me know, because I cannot, for the life of me, figure it out, and I would REALLY like to have a possible reason or two or, if at all possible, more than two. I'm just majorly confused about why I'm most proud of that specific part, so seriously, if you guys have some possible thoughts as to why that might be, please, PLEASE tell me what it is!**

**Love & hugs,  
Maggie  
**

**PS: I hope that the description of 'Ponine's eye color wasn't too confusing to anybody! If any part of it, any part at all, even the smallest little detail of that, didn't make sense, please DO NOT hesitate to ask me for a clarification on whatever part it was, because I have an absolutely beautiful image in my mind's eye of what this color combination looks like and what the colors themselves are, and I want to transfer that image to you guys as clearly as I possibly can. :)  
**


End file.
